The present invention relates to boots and binding systems for snowboards.
Conceptually, the snowboard may be thought of as a flat planar object that floats on top of a layer of snow. It is most affectively used on an inclined plane having a low friction coefficient (i.e. mountain covered with snow). Snowboard riders summit a, preferably, steep inclined plane—whether by chair lift, hiking, helicopter, or other known means for summiting a mountain. This creates potential energy based on the mass of the rider (and gear and snowboard) and the vertical elevation traversed to summit the mountain. The physics of this is well understood, and the joy of riding a snowboard is a result of converting this potential energy into kinetic energy by riding the board down the slope (inclined plane).
The board moves quickly down the hill because a very low friction surface is created by the mass of the board and rider and gear sitting on top of the snow. This weight and friction between the board and the snow melts a fine layer of the snow and it is this thin film of water that provides the reduced friction necessary for the board to careen down the mountain. This water is present throughout the length of the board (or at least the length of it that's in contact with the snow) and when the rider is coasting down the mountain she is actually coasting on a very thin film of water. The (skilled) rider controls the speed and direction of the board by tilting the board left and right and fore and aft. This movement is termed “shredding”. Shredding, or shifting the rider's weight, thus moving the board from one edge to the other also requires careful control of the center of gravity over the edge of the board that is in contact with the snow. If the rider fails to do so, the most common experience is to land on their back or front (depending on which board edge they are switching to). From this, it can be appreciated that the rider is controlling the contact area (increasing or reducing the frictional contact area resulting in decreased or increased acceleration) and steering the board.
To slow down and turn, a boarder ‘digs’ into the snow with the riding edge and leans in the direction they want to move. The larger amount of snow and the force of gravity create a set of forces whose net force push the board in the direction desired by the rider. Not surprising, the type of boot and binding system utilized to connect the rider to the board has significant influence on the quality and comfort of the ride and the performance and control of the board.
To enable a rider to control the board, various mounting systems and boots have been designed and are known in the prior art. Broadly categorized, these binding systems can be organized into rigid boots and associated binding system or soft boots and their associated binding systems.
Rigid and Soft Boots for Snowboards:
A snowboard is controlled by weight transfer and foot movement, both left to right (lateral) and fore and aft (longitudinal). Precision edge control is especially important in snowboarding activities where carving, rather than sliding, through the snow is desirable. Rigid boots are therefore highly desirable because they can transfer small movements of the rider's foot more directly to the board. However, boot flexibility is also important for many recreational and freestyle snowboarding activities, where “feel” is important and, thus, a more flexible boot is desired.
Balancing these two opposing characteristics has resulted in a myriad of boot and binding designs. For example, to provide control, mountaineering-type boots including a molded plastic, stiff outer shell and a soft inner liner, have been very popular. The boots are mounted on the snowboard using mountaineering or plate bindings. Plate bindings are fastened to the board under the fore and aft portions of the sole of the boot and typically provide both heel and toe bails to secure the boot in place, usually without any safety release mechanism. These boots are stiff enough to provide the desired edge control and stability for carving. However, they are too stiff to allow significant lateral flexibility, a key movement in the sport that is essential for freestyle enthusiasts and desirable for all-around snowboarders. As a result, the mountaineering-type boots feel too constraining to many snowboarders.
Freestyle snowboarding requires more flexibility of the ankle of the snowboarder relative to the board than the mountaineering-type boots allow. The mountaineering-type boots offer little lateral flexibility and only marginal fore and aft flexibility. To overcome this lack of flexibility, many riders utilize a soft-shell binding with an insulated snow boot. These bindings have rigid bases attached to the board, highback shells, straps to wrap around the boot, and buckles to secure the straps in place. The boots are standard insulated snow boots or slightly modified snow boots. The flexibility gained from the soft boot and relatively soft binding results in less edge control than a mountaineering-type boot. To gain more edge control, riders of soft-shell and snow boot systems over-tighten the binding straps around the boots. This over-tightening seriously sacrifices comfort.
Plate-Type Binding Systems for Snowboards:
Plate-type binding systems attach a boot by front and heel clips affording very firm seating of the boot on the board. One such plate-type binding system, described by Ratzek in U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,216 issued on 1993 Aug. 17 includes a rotatable base plate mounted directly in contact with the top surface of the snowboard. The base plate includes a circular central opening with a circular fastening disc formed with a projecting rim extending over the opening.
Ratzek et al. further teaches a rigid boot design for the plate-type binding system (of U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,216 issued on 1993 Aug. 17, discussed above) in U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,631 issued on 1997 Dec. 16. This boot design includes a snowboard binding having a sole part integrated in the boot and a first binding element cooperating with it and continuously connected to the snowboard. The sole part has two spring-loaded pins projecting laterally out of the sole part and capable of engaging with an opening of the first binding element. The pins can be retracted with a device attached to the snowboard boot to selectively open the binding.
Dodge, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,610 issued on 2002 Mar. 12, discloses a snowboard boot including at least one recess adapted to mate with a corresponding engagement member on a plate binding, and an interface for interfacing a snowboard boot to a binding. The interface comprises a body having at least one recess arranged to be disposed along an outer surface of the snowboard boot, the recess being adapted to mate with a corresponding engagement member on the binding.
Anderson et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,634 issued 2004 Apr. 16, describe an improved mounting system for connecting the solo of a boot to a plate-type binding device for a snowboard. The system includes first and second boot mounted bales in the form of rigid loops that extend from each side of the boot soles, and a pair of bindings attached to the snowboard. Each binding has a base including elongated, slotted holes located on the circumference of a circle through which bolts are placed to secure the base to the snowboard with a friction washer. The elongated holes allow for rotational adjustment of the binding. A hook-shaped structure extends from one side of the base with the hook facing outward. On the opposite side of the base is a cam structure with a downward and outwardly sloping surface ending in a bale-receiving notch. A spring loaded latch is pivotally mounted outboard and above the notch and includes a lever with a generally outwardly protruding handle on one side of the lever pivot axis, and a bale latching portion on the other side of the pivot.
Strap-in and Step-in Bindings for Soft Boots:
Early soft-boot binding systems simply attempted to affix a normal snow boot to the board using heel and toe strap members, augmented with some semi-rigid support device that guided the heel or toe or both ends of a common snow boot. These systems are generally known as strap-in systems and require the user to tighten a strap at the toe end. One exemplary strap-in type binding for snowboards includes a base plate with a pivotably connected high back member, a toe strap and instep strap, as taught by Laughlin in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,765 issued on 1997 Dec. 2. And as further disclosed by Laughlin in U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,429 issued on 2000 Aug. 15 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,354 issued on 2000 Sep. 26 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,110 issued on 2001 Aug. 7 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,365 issued on 2003 Nov. 18 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,488 issued 2004 Jun. 6 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,349 issued 2005 May 31.
Laughlin et al. teaches yet another version of a highback support device for a soft-boot binding in U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,296 issued on 2003 Apr. 29 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,413 issued 2004 May 18. The highback is comprised of an upright support member including at least two portions that are to be contacted by and to support a rear portion of the rider's leg and that are movable relative to each other for setting a desired forward lean of the highback. The support member may include a lower portion with a pair of mounting locations for mounting the highback to a gliding board component, such as a snowboard binding, and an upper portion movably supported by the lower portion to vary the forward lean of the highback. The highback may include a forward lean adjuster that that prevents the upper portion from moving in the heel direction beyond a predetermined forward lean position. The forward lean adjuster may be coupled to the upper portion and the lower portion of the highback to maintain the upper portion in the selected forward lean position independent of the gliding board component. A ride/relax feature may be provided to allow a rider to place the highback in either a ride mode in which the highback is fixed in the preselected forward lean position or a relax mode in which the highback is unrestrained so that leg movement is permitted in the heel direction beyond the forward lean position. A locking arrangement may also be provided to lock the highback in an upright riding position to prevent toe-edge travel relative to the board for enhanced board response.
Another conventional strap-in binding device, described by Couderc in App. No. US 2005/0167933 published on 2005 Aug. 4, includes a base plate associated with a rear support element highback. The rear support element is movably mounted with respect to the base plate. A linkage is connected to the base plate and to the rear support element in order to limit the rearward movement thereof. The position of the rear support element with respect to the base plate is longitudinally adjustable.
Yet another approach to a dual-strap binding includes the system of Muscatelli published on 2007 Aug. 16 in Pub. No. US 2007/0187928. Therein, a binding, in particular a snowboard binding comprises a base plate; a heel-cradling element; a toe-cradling element; an instep-strapping arrangement having a long part connected to one side of the base plate and a short side part connected to the other side; a closure device for the instep strapping arrangement; and a flexible linkage connecting the closure device of the instep-strapping arrangement and the toe-cradling element. In an open position the toe-cradling element is free to move, and in a closed position the flexible linkage pulls the toe-cradling element, so the foot is secured between the toe-cradling element, the heel-cradling element and the instep-strapping arrangement. In this closed position the held-together parts of the instep-strapping arrangement hold a foot securely by forces acting between these parts through the closure device, independently of the need to maintain tension in the flexible linkage.
Yet another strap-in binding includes the adjustable toe portion binding relative to the heel portion of a binding system as described by Zaloom et al. in Pub. No. US 2008/0030000 published on 2008 Feb. 7.
Warburton et al., in Pub. No. US 2008/0116664 published on 2008 May 22, describe a snowboard binding for securing a boot to a snowboard having a base mounted to the snowboard. The base includes a base plate and a pair of side rails that extend upwardly from the base plate along lateral sides of the base plate. The snowboard binding further includes a high-back support secured to the pair of side rails. The high-back support is fabricated from a single piece of material and has a hinge formed therein to adjust a forward lean position of the high-back support. Pontano et al., in Pub. No. US 2009/01345602 published on 2009 May 28, enhance the Warburton device by including a ratcheting strap assembly and a lateral toe wall on the base plate.
A strap-in binding that provides step-in convenience includes the device of Poscich described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,633 issued on 2004 Mar. 16 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,688 issued 2004 Apr. 20 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,238 issued 2004 Apr. 27. Poscich describes a plate attached to the board with slots for mating pegs provided by the boot. This laterally and longitudinally fixes the sole of the boot relative to the board. Strap members at the toe and mid-foot/ankle conventionally secure the boot in the binding system.
Martin describes a snowboard binding engagement mechanism in U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,811 issued on 2007 Jul. 24. Similar to other strap-in bindings known in the art, Martin's binding includes a base plate with a highback pivotally attached. A locking lever disposed on the back of the highback locks the highback in a generally upright position with a desired maximum forward lean. A flexible member such as a strap, panel, cord guide and cord attached to the highback and to the locking lever facilitates moving the lever between an open position and a locked position.
Sand et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,843 issued on 1999 Oct. 19, teaches an improved soft style snowboard boot that is internally reinforced by a multi-piece boot support assembly that includes a rigid molded plastic shank portion, a semi-rigid molded heel cup portion, and a molded or die-cut plastic highback portion. The shank portion is designed to resist flex, and provide ergonomic support for the foot, and further includes molded-in features which permit positive mechanical fastening of conventional step-in binding attachment structure, to the outsole of the boot. A pair of length adjustable tensioning strap members is connected between the shank and highback portions and when tightened the straps induce a desired forward lean in the highback portion. The straps may be tightened independently of each other to provide a desired side bias, left or right, to the highback portion.
Yet another step-in binding, described by Moe in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,077 issued 1999 Dec. 28, teaches a step-in snowboard binding having a base assembly, which is adjustably attached to the snowboard at an angle that is selected by the user. A front assembly and a back assembly are pivotally carried by the base assembly and are pivotally connected to each other. The front and back assemblies pivot between a closed and locked boot-restraining position, and an open step-in/out position. The front assembly carries an adjustable toe strap and an adjustable foot strap. A fastening assembly releasably locks the front and back assemblies together in the closed boot-restraining position.
Yet another modification to the step-in binding, taught by Sand et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,026 issued on 2000 Jun. 4, supports ankle region of a conventional soft boot. The assembly includes a rigid heel cup and a high back support for supporting the calf region of the snowboard rider. The high back support includes an extension member having a bottom end portion coupled within a pocket formed in the upper rear region of the heel cup. The coupling permits the high back support to float about a pivot axis that is translatable a predetermined amount along transverse, longitudinal and vertical axes of the ankle support assembly so as to enable articulation of said ankle support device in a manner that closely approximates the articulation of the foot and ankle of the snowboard rider.
Holzer, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,334 issued 2006 Apr. 14, describes a snowboard base plate for supporting a boot having a support feature and supporting the boot at the rearward cuff region or back region. The support is pivotable about a pivot axis and is restricted by stops extending substantially parallel with the standing plane of the base plate and substantially transversely to the binding longitudinal axis.
Recognizing a need for better fixation of the front and rear portions of the boot, other systems introduced more rigid type mounting devices adapted to engage modified snow boots with mating components. One such snowboard binding holds a boot by cooperating front and heel brackets, as disclosed by Albrecht in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,891 issued on 1998 Oct. 27. The heel bracket is coupled to a driving element that moves the heel bracket horizontally toward the front bracket and simultaneously downward. A spring piston locks the driving element to the closed position.
Yet another step-in binding for soft boots includes a ratchet bar as described by Eaton in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,971 issued on 1999 May 11. The boot includes a downward projecting ratchet bar at the rear (heel portion) of the boot. A boot binding mounted to a snowboard includes a toe strap and a heel region member of a boot holder having a receptor for the ratchet bar.
Laterally Engaging Binding Systems for Soft Boots:
Devices that attach laterally to specially modified boot soles are also known in the art. This version of a step-in binding includes a first engagement member supported by a base and adapted to engage a first lateral side of a boot, and a second engagement member pivotally mounted to the base and adapted to engage a second lateral side of the boot as described by Dodge in U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,680 issued on 1998 Mar. 3. This lateral binding system is further described by Dodge in related U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,480 issued on 1999 Sep. 28 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,052 issued on 2001 Apr. 20.
Another lateral attaching mechanism for soft boots, described by Bejean et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,358 issued on 1999 Sep. 21, includes a first anchoring device for the sole of the shoe; a second anchoring device affixed to the sole; a base affixed to the board and on which are mounted an arrangement for rotationally guiding and vertically retaining the first anchoring device and a mechanism for latching the second anchoring device, the mechanism including a jaw member having a housing for receiving the second anchoring device, and a latch journaled on the jaw member. The latching mechanism includes an elastic return device biased during the displacement of one portion at least of the latching mechanism which is driven by the thrust exerted by the second anchoring device moving vertically, substantially along an arc whose radius is equivalent to the distance separating the two anchoring devices during the tilting of the shoe about the axis of rotation of the first anchoring device.
Yet another lateral mounting system is described by Gignoux et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,852 issued on 2001 Feb. 25. Gignoux describes a step-in snowboard binding that includes at least one jaw secured to a driving arm. The jaw has a cam-shaped part collaborating with a locking element that can move in a guide in such a way that the jaw is locked for various positions of the jaw. The jaw is equipped with a return spring to keep it in the open position, and the jaw and the locking element cooperate to keep the locking element away from its locking position when the jaw is raised. The binding is equipped with an indicator that indicates whether the jaw is in the locked position.
Binding Systems Combining Rigid Connectivity and Soft-Boot Comfort:
As mentioned by others in the art, it is desirable to have both the control characteristics of a rigid boot and the comfort and ease-of-use of a soft boot. Accordingly, there are attempts in the art to offer such a system. One example, taught by Rench et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,058 issued on 1999 May 25, describes a boot and binding for step-in attachment to a snowboard that supports the rider's ankle and includes a sole having binding-receiving elements for attaching the boot to the binding on the snowboard. The sole also has toe and heel ends. The sole is formed with a heel counter at the heel end. Tread projects from the sole for traction when the boot is not attached to the snowboard. The strut extends upwardly from the heel counter of the base. The strut extends upwardly from the heel counter of the base. The strut provides aft support to the wearer. The upper is fixedly attached to the sole and is arranged and configured to receive the foot and ankle of the user. The upper has a rearward side adjacent the strut. The upper is more flexible than the strut and the highback. The binding disclosed includes a plate for attachment to the snowboard, a first coupling member to secure the forward end of the boot, and a second coupling member to secure the rearward end of the boot. The coupling members are releasably secured to the boot with at least one arm that extends from the side of the plate. The coupling member that secures the forward end of the boot may include either a set of jaws, a simple hook, or ridges on the sides of the toe portion.
One attempt to provide control characteristics of rigid boot and the comfort of a soft boot, described by Turner et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,477 issued on 1996 Apr. 9 (and further described in the associated continuing application issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,350 issued on 1997 Nov. 25), teaches a system including a boot having a base, a highback, and an upper. The base includes a binding-receiving plate for attaching the boot to the binding on the snowboard. The base also has toe and heel ends. The base is formed with a toecap at the toe end and has a heel counter at the heel end. Tread projects from the bottom of the base for traction when the boot is not attached to the-snowboard. The highback extends upwardly from the heel counter of the base. The highback provides aft support to the user. The upper is fixedly attached to the base and is arranged and configured to receive the foot and ankle of the user. The upper has a rearward side adjacent the highback. The upper is more flexible than the base and the highback. A base strap is connected to opposing sides of the base and extends across a portion of the upper. The binding disclosed includes a frame for attachment to the snowboard, a first coupling member to secure the forward end of the boot, and a second coupling member to secure the rearward end of the boot. The coupling members are releasably secured to the boot with arms that extend from the sides of the frame. The coupling member that secures the forward end of the boot may include either a set of jaws or a simple hook. Both sets of coupling members hold the boot, within the sole of the boot, along an axis near the longitudinal center axis of the sole of the boot.
Another attempt to provide a stiffer boot includes removable vertical stiffening stays adapted to fit in corresponding vertical channels on a soft boot as described by Gillard et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,808 issued on 1997 Mar. 4.
Yet another attempt to provide a more rigid boot and stiffer mounting mechanism is described by Morrow et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,913 issued on 2001 Feb. 20. Morrow describes a step-in three-point binding that includes first and second binding pin-engagers on a first side of the binding and a third binding pin-engager on a second side of the binding. At least one of the binding pin-engagers moves from an unlocked to a locked position when the snowboarder steps onto the binding with a boot, securing the specialized boot to the binding.
Savard, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,287 issued on 2000 Jun. 20, describes a specialized soft boot with a rigid shank, which is well-suited for a freestyle snowboard boot and step-in bindings. Savard's stance support system is composed principally of a stance support shank; a bearing mount structured to be attachable to a snowboard boot heel counter, supporting a bearing having a bearing surface that is at least partially pivotal; and a shank retainer fitting structured to be attachable to the leg portion of the snowboard boot. One end of the shank is formed as a rocker for riding on the pivotal surface of the bearing, wherein it is rockable from an upright orientation through an instep-ward cant, and is rigidly restrained uprightly from rocking outward beyond the cant. The other end of the shank is a lever end engagable into the retainer fitting.
Yet another specialized boot and associated binding system for mounting a rider to a snowboard includes the device described by Maravetz et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,018 issued on 2000 Aug. 8. Therein Maravetz discloses a base having a toe end and a heel end, and a guide that is adapted to guide a snowboard boot back toward the heel end of the base when the snowboard boot is stepped into the binding. Another embodiment is directed to a snowboard binding including a baseplate and a heel hoop hinged for rotation relative to the baseplate. A further embodiment is directed a snowboard binding to mount a snowboard boot to a snowboard, the snowboard boot including at least one pin extending from medial and lateral sides thereof. The snowboard binding comprises a base having medial and lateral sides; a pair of engagement cams each mounted to one of the medial and lateral sides for rotation between open and closed positions; at least one lever to move the pair of engagement cams from the closed position to the open position; and a cocking mechanism that is adapted to maintain the pair of engagement cams in the open position upon release of the at least one lever.
Hale, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,492 issued on 2001 Sep. 4, teaches one or more energy transfer or resistance elements adapted to attach to a snowboard binding to provide gradually increasing resistance by means of a resistance element. The resistance element includes a housing containing a spring and an adjuster block. A bolt is passed through the spring and threaded into the adjuster block for setting a desired amount of tensioning. The angle of a highback is adjusted by a lean adjuster, which is also threaded into the adjuster block. According to other embodiments, the resistance element can be a strap having an expandable portion, a strap combined with the spring, or a torsion spring.
Utilizing the plate-style binding, but pairing it with a more comfortable soft boot, Hirayama et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,795 issued on 2002 Oct. 22 discloses a snowboard binding having a highback that provides a tight fit between a soft boot and the highback. The snowboard binding has a base plate, a first binding member and a second binding member. The first binding member is coupled to one of the front and rear portions of the base plate. The second binding member is coupled to the other of the front and rear portions of the base plate. The second binding member is coupled to the base plate at a location that is longitudinally spaced from the first binding member. The second binding member includes a catch member movably relative to the base plate and a latch member movable movably relative to the base plate. The latch member is arranged to selectively hold the catch member in a plurality of engagement positions having different heights above the base plate.
Okajima et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,590 issued on 2003 Apr. 11 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,542 issued on 2003 Jul. 22 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,364 issued on 2003 Nov. 18 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,206 issued 2005 Feb. 22, teaches a snowboard binding system including a boot having a mid sole constructed of a first material and an outer sole constructed of a second material. The first material has a lower coefficient of friction than the second material. First and second rear catches are formed on first and second lateral sides of the mid sole to engage a rear binding arrangement of the binding. A front catch of the boot selectively engages a front binding member of the binding. The outer sole partially covers the mid sole such that the mid sole is exposed in an area adjacent at least one of the first and second lateral sides. The binding includes a base member with a rear guide member and has an upper boot support surface arranged to contact the exposed area of the mid sole.
Jones et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,866 issued on 2003 May 6, teach a snowboard binding including a top plate for affixation to a sole of a boot and a bottom plate for affixation to a snowboard. The top plate has two spaced apart and opposed upturned and inwardly angled end walls, and a locking bar with a hole formed therein. The bottom plate has two opposing end tabs which are inwardly angled by a predetermined angle generally mating to that of the end walls of the top plate. The bottom plate has a locking mechanism with a locking pin adapted to be biased into a hole formed in the locking bar when the top plate is fully engaged with the bottom plate.
Otsuji et al. disclose a snowboard interface with articulating upper and lower portions in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,118 issued on 2003 Dec. 16. The snowboard interface has an upper interface and a lower interface, wherein the upper interface rotates and translates relative to the lower interface. More specifically, the snowboard interface includes a foot interface, a leg interface and a coupling mechanism for coupling the leg interface to the foot interface so that the leg interface translates sideways and rotates sideways relative to the foot interface.
Split Board Designs:
The prior art includes new approaches to the traditional snowboard design in an ever-increasing attempt to improve rider enjoyment. One such new approach is a split board design. One example of a split board design includes the touring snowboard of Wariakois, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,324 issued on 1999 Nov. 16 wherein a snowboard is comprised of two separable ski members, each having at least one non-linear longitudinal edge, and being adapted for conjoining together to selectively form the snowboard. The snowboard further comprises ski bindings associated with each ski member and a snowboard binding assembly, which is comprised of elements associated with each ski member. Thus, boot bindings can be readily positioned between a skiing mode and a snowboarding mode. The ski bindings are adapted for both fixed-heel and free-heel binding to accommodate conventional alpine and telemarking skiing.
Another split board design, described by Maravetz in U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,851 issued on 2003 Feb. 25, includes a binding mechanism used to securely couple board sections of a touring snowboard together. The binding mechanism includes a first interface mounted to at least one of first and second board sections and a second interface mounted to the base. A clamp is mounted to the first or second interface and is movable between a closed configuration, wherein the interfaces are adapted to engage with each other, and an open configuration wherein the interfaces are adapted to release each other. When in the open configuration, an amount of clearance exists between the interfaces. When the clamp is moved to the closed configuration, the amount of clearance is decreased to securely join the board sections together. The clamp exerts a clamping force in at least two non-parallel directions to draw the board sections together. The clamp further mounts a snowboard boot binding to the board sections when in a snowboard mode, or to one of the board sections when in ascension mode.
Yet another specialized boot is described by Fletcher in Pub. No. US 2010/0154254 published on 2010 Jun. 24. Therein, a boot includes a binding mechanism for attachment to a snowboard.
Other Improvements to Boot and Board Designs Including Binding Systems to Enhance Comfort and/or Performance:
Musho et al. in Pub. No. US 2002/0089150 published 2002 Jul. 11 disclose a snowboard boot that includes an upper and a binding interface adapted to engage with a snowboard binding. The interface is supported from the boot upper so that even when the interface is rigidly engaged by the binding, the boot upper can advantageously roll or flex side-to-side relative to the interface, and consequently the snowboard, to provide a rider with a desirable feel of foot roll. The boot may be configured so that a segment of the boot upper rearward of its toe portion can flex in the side-to-side direction relative to the binding interface, while the forward toe portion of the boot upper remains fixed against side-to-side flexibility. A flexible connection may be employed to couple the binding interface to the snowboard boot upper to allow the segment of the lower portion thereof to flex relative to the binding interface. The flexible connection may extend along a substantial length of at least one of the heel portion, the in-step portion and the toe portion of the upper. The flexible connection may be constructed within at least one of the lateral and medial sidewalls of the snowboard boot upper. The flexible connection may include a flexible panel to mount the interface to the boot upper. The panel may include a fabric or other flexible material, including stretchable and non-stretchable materials.
Neiley, in Pub. No. 2007/0169377 published on 2007 Jul. 26, describes a boot having an upper formed of articulating panels that permit portions of the boot to move in substantial independence from one another in response to loads experienced by the boot.
Kaufman, in Pub. No. US 2009/0223084 published on 2009 Sep. 10, describes a hands-free fastening mechanism for releasably securing a user's foot to a binding.
Yet, despite the myriad of binding and boot systems known in the art, there remains a need for an improved binding and boot system that provides substantial feel and flexibility for the rider and yet, at the same time, provide sufficient rigidity so the board's response to rider input is enhance. There is a need for a boot and binding system than can transfer movement of the rider's foot and lower leg to a more immediate and direct control of the board and, at the same time, provide sufficient comfort to enable the stunt-rider to better perform board tricks. Further, there is a need for a boot and binding system that is comfortable to wear, reduces fatigue from use, provides support to the lower leg and foot, and has safety mechanisms to minimize injury from prolonged use and to provide improved protection from accidents.
There is further a need for a boot and binding system that can adapt to the ever-growing area of split-board snowboarding and related snow activities. Because a split-board has a different binding set-up—two sets of bindings, in fact: one for skinning up the mountain and a second for riding back down that must be able to be “split” while skinning up the mountain.
There is a further need for a boot and binding system to integrate with certain existing boot and binding systems to reduce the cost to the rider who may already own expensive equipment and prefer to integrate a new system with his or her existing components.
In one contemplated embodiment, the binding system of the present invention fits existing hole-patterns, such as the Voile hole pattern. Thus, a rider could utilize the present invention including the bindings and boots on their existing split-boards—not as a supplemental system but rather to entirely replace them.
There is further a need for a boot and binding system that enables a snowboard rider to have a choice in the selection of outer and inner materials, and to select more or less rugged, or lighter or heaver components based on the rider's skill, interest, intended terrain and budget.